Damage-preventing system for manipulator
An industrial robot with a manipulator arm including at least one manipulator element and an electric motor driving the at least one manipulator element. An energy reservoir supplies the electric motor with electricity when a power failure or power loss occurs to move the manipulator element from a working position to a safe parking position. Also a method of parking a manipulator arm of an industrial robot.
1. An industrial robot with a manipulator arm, the industrial robot comprising:
at least one manipulator arm element;
an electric motor driving the arm element;
an energy reservoir arranged to supply the electric motor with electricity when a power failure or power loss occurs; and
a robot controller comprising a power failure or power loss routine activating the energy reservoir to supply the electric motor with electricity and to move the manipulator arm element from a working position to a safe parking position.
2. The industrial robot according to claim 1 , wherein the energy reservoir comprises at least one type of battery and/or at least one type of capacitor.
3. The industrial robot according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one type of battery comprises lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride or lithium-ion.
4. The industrial robot according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one type of capacitor comprises super-caps, double layer or electrostatic.
5. The industrial robot according to claim 2 , wherein the power failure or power loss is defined as less than 75% of nominal voltage.
6. The industrial robot according to claim 2 , wherein the energy reservoir is used only for moving the manipulator arm element from a working position to a safe parking position.
7. The industrial robot according to claim 1 , wherein the energy reservoir is disabled from supplying electricity to the electric motor after the manipulator arm element has been moved to the safe parking position.
8. A method of parking a manipulator arm of an industrial robot in case a power failure/loss is detected, the method comprising:
detecting a power failure/loss;
activating a power failure routine or a return to safe parking routine by a detected signal;
enabling an energy reservoir to supply electric energy to an electric motor to transport the manipulator arm to a safe parking position; and
disabling the energy reservoir from supplying electric energy to said electric motor when the parking has been performed.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the energy reservoir comprises at least one type of battery and/or at least one type of capacitor.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one type of battery comprises lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride or lithium-ion.
11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one type of capacitor comprises super-caps, double layer or electrostatic.
12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the power failure/loss is defined as less than 75% of nominal voltage.
13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the energy reservoir is used only for transporting the manipulator arm to a safe parking position.